A Love that Will Last
by DarkestAngel11
Summary: It's set when Patty is in her early twenties. She believes Anton to be dead but what will happen when she get's a surprise visitor?
1. Love will Last

**Hi there! I'm DarkestAngel1! This is my first Summer of my German Soldier story so please be nice, yet critical at the same time. I first read this book for an English class assignment, and I fell in love with it. I really wanted to know what happened after the story ended, so I decided to write my own. **

**Dedication: To my English teacher, Mrs. Bingham for making us read this book, and to my friend Emily, who is forcing into posting this. Thank you both.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Summer of my German Soldier, because if I did, why would I be writing this? All rights go to Bette Greene.**

**A/N IMPORTANT! I made it as thought eight years had gone by so Patty would be twenty and Anton (if he's dead or alive?) would be about twenty eight, according to the ages in the book. BUT I made it so Patty was Twenty and Anton was about twenty four. So please forgive me on the dates here!**

_Playlist:_

_Miserable at Best - Mayday Parade_

_Realize - Colbie Caillat_

_Still Breathing - Mayday Parade_

_Hangin by a Moment - Life House_

**So here it is:**

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July 29, 1951

It's been nearly eight years since my world was thrown into chaos, since I first found hope in my less than perfect world, since I first saw _him._ Frederick Anton Reiker. Or as I called him: Anton.

I've been sitting in this same position for so long that my leg has gone numb, but I barely even notice. This is because I'm thinking about Anton again. It's the anniversary of the day Anton was shot and killed. Eight years and I'm still not over him. I tried my hardest to forget him when I was cooped up in the reformatory school, but nothing ever seemed to work. After a while I gave up trying to forget him and just let the thought of him envelope me, until all I thought about was what could have happened if I had stopped him from leaving or if he was still alive. Anton was my first and only love, the only person who had ever looked upon me as more than a child. I learned a lot from him, like when he said I was brave, I finally believe him, to an extent.

But the one thing that I will never forget that Anton told me was when he said "I want you to always remember that you are a person of value, and you have a friend who loved you enough to give you his most valued possession."

When I was sixteen I stood up to my father and told him that I wanted to go and live with Grandma and Grandpa. He told me that was perfectly fine with him because he didn't want to deal with a hormonal teenager who wouldn't listen to him, even if her life was on the line. After that I went to live with my grandparents,until Charlene offered to help me find an apartment close by. Charlene also offered me an internship at the Memphis Commercial Appeal and I gladly accepted it. Now I'm the youngest to ever get a full time job there and be one of the lead investigators in the most current stories.

My grandparents say that they love having me around and I really believe that they do. Right now they're just finishing packing for their trip to New York tomorrow. They asked me if I wanted to go but I just couldn't shake this crazy feeling I've had all week, like something's gonna happen. I'm not sure if it's a good something or a bad something, but either way I'm staying home. Who knows with the weather we're having right now, their train just might be canceled. Just then a lightning strike struck across the moon. I jumped at the sudden light. To top it all off, it was pouring down raining, not the regular light drizzle, no it was more like giant rain droplets, the kind that if your outside for more than a couple of seconds, you will get completely soaked. This weather is basically expressing my feelings right now, kind of confused, scared and most of all anxious. I'm not even sure what I should be anxious about, but I still am.

"Patty, we're going to leave in a few minutes." My grandmother said as she came around the corner holding her suitcase.

"Are you sure that you really wouldn't like to join us? It's completely alright if you stand by you first answer, but remember you can always chance it." She said this with a small smile on her face. I know that whenever I'm unhappy, then I make her worry. So I try to put on a good show for her.

"No, Grandma, I think that I'm going to stay here when you're gone. I really need to catch up on the report I'm writing about President Truman." I smiled a little to show her that I was okay, but this smile didn't even reach my eyes. She came and put her arm around my shoulders for comfort.

"Well, alrighty then dear, your Grandmother and I are off." My grandfather said as he came into the room. He picked up Grandma's suitcase and headed out to the car, wit my Grandma and I in toe.

My Grandparent's housekeeper, Ruth, who was our old caretaker back in Jenkensville, came over to say goodbye.

"Have a safe trip now, ya'll! Patty, hon, you have a visitor waiting outside for you." She said with a mischievous smile.

* * *

**Cliffy! I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter! **

**I will be posting chapter 2 tomorrow!**

**I want to give a shout out to my friend Emily, whose Birthday is today! This is your present! Not! **

**Please Review and tell me what you think! **

**Read and Review!**


	2. Long Time Coming

**Here there Again! I forgot to mention this on my last chapter but, My Exams are over! Done, Finito! I'm extremely happy about that!**

_**Playlist:**_

_**The Call – Regina Spektor**_

_**Long Time Coming – Oliver James **_

_**Top of the World – all American Rejects **_

_**Pray for you – Jaron and the Long road to love **_

**So here's my newest Chapter 2… Long Time Coming**

"_Have a safe trip now, ya'll! Patty, hon, you have a visitor waiting outside for you." She said with a mischievous smile. _

"Who's here, Ruth?" I questioned with wonder. I hadn't invited any of my colleagues over before, except for Charlene Madlee, so I had no idea who wanted to see me.

Then my stomach dropped. What if it was my parents coming to see me or what if it was someone who wanted to talk about what happen back in Jenkensville, with… with…

_No, stop thinking about that Patty. You have your own life now, what's past is the past. You will never forget him, even though he is gone._

Ruth's voice shook me out of my inner thoughts and conflicts.

"Patty, I suggest that you step outside this here house, and go greet you guest." Ruth said with a stern yet gentle look.

"Alright Ruth, I'm going, but who,?" I was going to finish but I could tell by the look on her face that I needed to just do what I was told.

"Front or Back?' I asked quietly.

"Front, and Patty baby, I suggest you go quickly." She said with a new urgency in her eyes, as if something just dawn on her.

I quickly walked towards the front door, but now without seeing the look smile that Ruth was giving my Grandparents. This only encouraged me to get outside fast.

The moment I opened the door I could feel the heavy rain poring down on the cover over the porch. I saw a figure a little bit away. I could tell that it was a man, by his hair and the way her stood, but I could see who it was since his face was turned the other way.

Like the man was reading my thoughts, he turned around to face me. That's when I saw _Him. _Him as in the one that captured my heart all those years ago.

_Fredrick Anton Reiker. _

I could tell it was him, even after all these years.

At this point, I was ready for anything that life could through at me. This is the moment. The strange feelings I've had all week, the memories that I can't stop replaying in my head, his ring that I carry with me everywhere I go, all these things would come to a climax at this very moment. And believe me when I say, I had no idea that what was going to happen, would ever become a reality.

"Anton." I breathed out. I could see my breath in the cold, rainy air. I blinked multiple times to make sure that I wasn't just hallucinating.

"Hello, Patricia Bergen." He said with a huge smile on his face as he walked slowly up the drive way, as if not to scare me.

By this time, realization had set in, so I ran as fast as I could to get down the long drive way, straight to him.

As I reached him, I flung myself into his arms and started to sob silently into his shoulder. I hope that my tears would blend in with the rain so he wouldn't know that I was crying, but my hope was quickly brushed aside. Anton hugged my tightly and buried his face in my hair. I put my head above is heart so I could hear it beating, as reassurance that he actually was here.

Anton pulled back a little bit so now our foreheads were touching and we were looking into each others eyes.

Brown meeting greenish-gray. You know how they say the eyes are the windows to the soul? In this case they truly are.

All that I could see in Anton's eyes were love, concern, and hope. They held completely different emotions than they did eight years ago.

His hands went from my back, to cradle my face. I felt a small blush creeping up on my cheeks, but didn't care as I rested my cheek against the palm of his hand. His fingers brushed away what was left of my tears and lingered on my face, caressing my cheekbone softly.

"I thought that I would never be able to do this." Anton said with amazement in his voice as he dropped his hands slowly from my face, to my waist, just to pull me against him again. I shivered slightly, still not fully grasping the fact that Anton wasn't dead.

"I thought that I had lost you forever." I confessed quietly. He turned his head to look at me.

"You will never, ever lose me." He said and just as he was about to kiss me, we both heard Ruth's voice from the porch.

"You two better get in here, if ya'll don't want to catch a chill." She said hands on her hips with a smile on her face brighter than I seen in a long time.

"Were coming Ruth!" I yelled back, as I reluctantly pulled out of his embrace. We both turned and started walking up the driveway together. Then when I least expected it he grabbed hold of my hand. I looked down at the way our hands fit perfectly together.

"Is this," he said holding up our hands, "alright with you?" He asked this with an impish smile, because we both knew that it was more than alright for both of us.

When we reached the door he held it open for me, like the gentleman he was, and then we walked straight into my beaming grandparents.

"So this is Mr. Reiker." My grandfather said eyeing him with approval.

"Yes sir, I am Fredrick Anton Reiker. It's very nice to meet both of you." He said this in a flawless voice as he stuck out his right hand to shake.

My grandfather took his hand and smiled. While my Grandma with tears in her eyes came over and hugged him.

After everyone had been acquainted, my grandparents decided it was time to leave, if they didn't want to be late. All five of us walked them to the door.

"Patty, Anton, you two be good while were gone. Ruth will be just down the road if you need her, and if anything big happens, call Charlene." Grandma said and just as she was going out the door the phone rang.

I could only make out muffled voices, but I could tell that something was wrong. T the moment I really didn't care. Anton and I agreed to talk about what happened later and to just enjoy each others company for now.

"Patty, I have some news for you." Grandpa said as he came back into the room with a grim expression on his face.

"What is it? What's wrong? Who's the news from?" I asked getting worried.

"Your parents are dropping by unannounced, after they drop Shannon off at her new arts high school." He said with an apologetic expression lining his face. "If I would have known about this earlier then I would have stopped them from coming over, but their already on their way. I'm so sorry Patty."

Everything was a blur from the time the words that I have been dreading since I moved to Memphis, came out of his mouth.

_Your parents are dropping by unannounced._

Just when I think that things are going great, the fall apart again. I truly hope that we live through this.


End file.
